Flavor-spin symmetry estimate of the nucleon tensor charge.

The axial vector and tensor charge, defined as the first moments of the forward nucleon matrix elements of corresponding quark currents, are essential for characterizing the spin structure of the nucleon. There are no definitive theoretical predictions for the tensor charge, aside from several model-dependent calculations. We present a new approach that exploits the approximate mass degeneracy of the light axial vector mesons [ a1(1260), b1(1235), and h1(1170)] and uses pole dominance to calculate the tensor charge. The result is simple in form. It depends on the decay constants of the axial vector mesons and their couplings to the nucleons.